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Phenolic Tests

Mediumchemistry

Ferric chloride test gives violet coloration with:

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About This Question

Subject
chemistry
Chapter
oxygen organics
Topic
phenolic tests
Difficulty
Medium
Year
2025
Tags
phenol testFeCl3

Solution

Correct Answer:

Phenol with activating group

  1. The Reagent: Neutral Ferrichloride solution ().
  2. Target: Phenols or enols.
  3. Observation: When a drop of neutral is added to phenol, a characteristic violet, blue, or green coloration appears.
  4. Chemistry: This is due to the formation of a coordination complex where the phenolic Oxygen coordinates to the ion.
  5. Specificity: Aliphatic alcohols ( Ethanol) do not form such stabilized complexes and therefore show no such color change, making this a classic test to distinguish phenols from alcohols.

This medium difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter oxygen organics, covering the topic of phenolic tests. It appeared in the 2025 exam.

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